Cave.



UNITED STATES Patented November 17, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. HUBBELL' AND GEORGE WASHINGTON HUBBEL'L, OF ST.

' CHARLES, IOWA.

oAvE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,199, dated November1-7, 1903.

Application filed November 8,1902. Renewed August 8, 1903. Serial No. 168.842. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that we, FRANK J. HUBBELL and GEORGE WASHINGTON HUBBELL,citizens of the United States, residing at St. Charles,

in the county of Madison and State of Iowa,

have invented a new and useful Cave, of which the following is aspecification.

Our improvement relates to caves of the kind sometimes termedcyclone-cellars or tornado'vaultsf and the object is to build anartificial cave or vault which will serve as a place of protectionduring cyclones and also as a convenient place to store farm produce atall times. To serve in this double capacity, it is essential that thecave be protected from the wind, be dry, and have some system ofventilation.

Our construction is fully shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a perspective sectional view through the stairway and centerof the building. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cave.

In carrying out ourimprovement we make an excavation of a sufficientsize and depth and construct therein a building of stone or brick,having a central domed compartment and a stairway-passage leadingdownward to it.

In the drawings, A represents the vertical side wall of the cave, and Athe sidewalls of the stairway. Even at its highest point the wall A doesnot extend to the surface of the earth. The wall A isof suchconfiguration that it incloses five vaults B, which are arrangedradially around the central compartment C. i

At the head of the stairway D is door D, the stairway being covered bytwo arches D D while at the foot of the stairs is an arch D Upon eitherside of the stairs open vaults E E, the latter being in a lower planethan the former. These vaults are also arched over, their floors beingsome distance above the steps upon which they open. Each of the vaults Bis arched over by a Gothic arch B. The fioors B of the vaults B are on ahigher level than the floor of the central compartment. The centralcompartment is covered by a dome C, rising from the arches B and D Thevaults B are entirely underground, the dome C and the walls A and archesD D being the only parts above the surface.

In order to secure ventilation, pipes F, having hoods F, extend upwardfrom the central dome and from each vault, those from the vaults havingdampers F which can be turned from without the cave.

The vaults E E are especially adaptedfor the storage of butter, milk,&c., while the vaults B will serve for the storage of other articles offarm produce. The central compartment or the vaults B will also'affordprotection in case of cyclones, there being no portion of the vaultsthat would be exposed in any way to damage from a wind-storm.

It will be seen, therefore, that we have devised a cave fully adapted tocarry out the objects enumerated in the first part of thisspecification.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an artificial cave, a central compartment arched vaults radiatingfrom said center, a passage and stairway leading down to saidcompartment, a dome over the central compartment resting on the archesof the vaults, the top of said vaults being below the surface of theground and means for ventilating said cave.

2. An artificial cave, comprising a central compartment the floor andside walls of said compartment being below the surface of the ground, apassage-way having an arched roof and inclosing a stairway leading downto said central compartment, vaults having arched roofs extendingradially from the central compartment, the floor of said vaults be ingabove the level of the'central compartment and their roofs being belowthe surface of the ground, and ventilating-pipes extending upward fromthe dome and vaults.

FRANK J. llUBBELh. GEORGE WASHINGTON HUBBELL.

Witnesses:

O. W. MINARD, CORA IRWIN.

